2016 Is The International Year Of Pulses

Nov 23, 2015

Dry beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils are getting a year in celebration with the UN announcing the 2016 International Year of Pulses.

Pulses are high in protein. fibre, and vitamins, and are linked to a decreased risk of heart attack and stroke. The International Year of Pulses will demonstrate the importance of pulses to nutrition and health, as well as they role they play in global food security, with over 800 million people around the world suffering from undernourishment and health problems due to poor diets.

Francois Labelle, executive director of Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers (MPSG), says they hope to encourage Manitobans to eat more pulses, noting he's already seen pulses added into many food items, such as crackers.

"Pulses can be milled into flour," he says, "they're already broken up into the various of fractions: the proteins, the starches, etc., and used in a number of difference food items that way."

Source : PortageOnline

Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?